BALTIMORE – September 8, 2016 – Acrodyne Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, has entered into an agreement with Progira to act as the sole distributor of the company’s advanced broadcast network planning and design tools in the US, Canada and Mexico.
“After working with PROGIRA® plansoftware for the last year, it became clear to us that PROGIRA was dedicated to delivering a solution tailored for what is widely anticipated to be the next US Broadcast standard – ATSC 3.0,” said Andy Whiteside, General Manager of Acrodyne Services and President of Dielectric, also a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair. He continued, “We have been using PROGIRA® planto analyze a number of markets in which Sinclair operates - with a view to implementing ATSC 3.0, including the use of Single Frequency Networks. Our collaborative work has led to a version that matches specific needs for US markets as currently regulated by the FCC. The attention to design details and overall engineering capabilities of PROGIRA have been impressive and we believe that, together, we can provide an important RF engineering resource to the North American broadcast community as it transitions to the new standard.”
The new agreement means that the PROGIRA® plansoftware will be available through Acrodyne Services, along with training and support. “The new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard is an important part of the continuous development of our PROGIRA® plan software. The most recent version will be officially released before the International Broadcast convention (IBC) in mid-September. It contains full ATSC 3.0 functionality as well as support for the FCC regulatory framework. The continuing collaboration with the Sinclair Broadcast Group is invaluable in this work,” said Patrik Engstedt, CEO at PROGIRA Radio Communication AB.
Acrodyne Services and Dielectric designed and installed the nation’s first ATSC 3.0 Single Frequency Network, with transmit facilities in Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC earlier this year. “We have now entered the phase of field verification, wherein we will take extensive field data and feed it back into PROGIRA® planto verify the initial assumptions and ‘tweak’ the design process and parameters, if necessary. There is an awful lot to be learnt about implementing OFDM based broadcast systems and we are glad to have PROGIRA as a partner through this learning process,” stated Andy. “They bring a wealth of experience gained through their involvement in system design and, equally important, system analysis and troubleshooting.”
Using PROGIRA® plan, Acrodyne Services and Dielectric will work closely with another Sinclair subsidiary, ONE Media 3.0, to fulfill one of Sinclair’s core goals - the buildout of a national footprint using ATSC 3.0, featuring local SFNs on a market-specific basis, considered essential to providing virtualized coast-to-coast IP data related services.
PROGIRA provide cost effective network planning solutions and expertise to clients in more than 50 countries, including software as well as consulting services. By identifying actual client needs PROGIRA can provide truly great solutions and real value to all clients. PROGIRA is independent with main areas of expertise in Network Coverage, Infrastructure Investment Optimization, Digital Dividend Possibilities, Frequency Planning and Digital Cartography. www.progira.com
Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is the largest and one of the most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
Acrodyne Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair, provides service and support for Broadcast transmitters throughout the world. This includes the large installed base of transmitters sold by Acrodyne Industries (Ai) over its 40 year history, as well as products manufactured by Rohde & Schwarz, Harris, Comark and others. The staff of Acrodyne Services offer a combined total of over 150 years of experience in the design, manufacture, installation and support of all types of TV transmitters. www.acrodyneservices.com
Based in Raymond, Maine, Dielectric LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair. Dielectric is a leading provider of innovative broadcast products. From remote stations to major markets, Dielectric has been delivering solutions for every need since 1942. Dielectric is an innovative, customer-centric organization with a long history of engineering excellence in designing and manufacturing high-quality broadcast solutions. The Company is a trusted partner of broadcasters worldwide. More information can be accessed at www.dielectric.com
